Random Spirit Lover.

A lot has happened since I last posted...I'm assuming that's true, anyway. Actually, its completely accurate: I've given up driving a car COMPLETELY in favor of a bicycle. Take that, Al Gore! I've also discovered that listening to music while biking is incredibly powerful and far more relevant than listening in a car. The tactile experience of traveling without the assistance of a complex machine gives you a greater appreciation for your environment which is inexplicably connected to sound. Long, extremely wordy story short, I've fallen in love with an album. I thought it was going to be Radiohead's "In Rainbows" that would rule my Fall listening but the mighty UK troupe have fallen at the hands of a bunch of Canadians.

I hereby declare Sunset Rubdown's "Random Spirit Lover" the best record of 2007. And believe you me, there has been a shitload of great music this year. I've been obsessed with Lil Wayne's mixtape output (the quality of which is phenomenal and downright shocking for someone that releases new material every other hour), an album by a bunch of alien rockers called Black Moth Super Rainbow, and, yes, "In Rainbows" is amazing. Somehow, I've connected with "Random Spirit Lover" in a way that only happens once every year or so. On a totally random note, I'm also finding a similar connection with Bruce Springsteen's "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", but for totally different reasons.

"Random Spirit Lover" is a complex, baffling, and heartbreaking work in the vein of my last favorite album, Joanna Newsom's "Ys". The two have nothing in common on a sonic level but structurally, they find a certain kinship. Both are comprised of melodies that are immediately gripping yet labrythine enough to require multiple listens. They speak in languages that are archiac yet familiar. And though neither are necessarily "concept albums", they seem to move through their own premeditated narratives; in other words, there is no "shuffle" mode.

Sunset Rubdown's record seems to have been built for the vinyl listening experience, in that each side of the 4 sides are a cohesive structure comprising a larger story. The way "The Mending of the Gown", "Magic vs. Midas", and "Upon Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days" meld together on side A is almost completely seamless and is as striking in its composition as it is in execution. If all records were like this, well, I wouldn't have time for much else.

I don't even want to post a few tracks from this album as it robs the record of its overall impact. Just buy/download it ASAP and we won't have to fight about it.

Sunday Come Undone

Its been a mad busy week. It was a week that saw several 10-12 hour days and one 15 hour day that included a trip to DC to get my expedited passport. I'm heading to Montreal for a shoot next week so if anyone knows of some good shows going on in the area between September 4-7, drop me a line. Professor Murder played last week which would've been great to see. Oh well.

One discovery that I made on that 15 hour day was Thrushes. Casey Harvey, guitar player in the band, sent a couple of their mp3s my way and its f'in beautiful. I've only heard the first two tracks from their debut release "Sun Come Undone" but I'm really excited to hear what else this Baltimore four-piece has put together. I started looking through their website and found that I almost attended one of their shows here in Richmond. A friend's band, The Silent Type, was playing with Thrushes but for some odd reason or another, I didn't end up going. This is what we call a mistake in the industry.

"Aidan Quinn" begins with a giant, solitary beat. Airy guitar and thick bass slide in alongside Anna Conner's breathy vocals. A tiny piano line accentuates the melody. Everything drops out, guitars explode, and suddenly you're laying in a green field on a ranch somewhere in Texas, staring at the stars and more than a little buzzed.

"Heartbeats" also begins with a giant, solitary beat, though this one is a little more familiar. Its the beat from "Be My Baby" and "Just Like Honey" but its more closely related to The Jesus & Mary Chain than The Ronettes. Whereas The Jesus & Mary Chain were purposefully abrasive with their guitar sound, Thrushes applies a gorgeous, reverb and distortion drenched wall of sound over the booming drums. One could easily tag this as shoegaze but I think that Thrushes distinguish themselves with their rhythm section. Much of the shoegaze aesthetic revolves around an almost formless sound but Matt Davis's drums and Rachel Tracy's bass really propel "Heartbeats" past the simple shoegaze label. Think The Twilight Sad without the accent.

Joyous sounds abound:

Heartbeats - http://www.morphius.com/label/mp3/thrushes_heartbeats.mp3

Aidan Quinn - http://www.morphius.com/label/mp3/thrushes_aidanquinn.mp3

www.myspace.com/thrushes

http://www.thrushesrule.com

Are there no heroes left in man?

Hey! How the hell are you buddy? Wow, me too, I mean, its quite a time we're having, right?

God you look good.

Yes, its true, this is my first post but lets not make a big deal out of it, okay? Lets just forget about the typical getting-to-know-you bullshit and just get on with it, eh? Hey, there's no reason to yell.

First up, those attractive young folks above me are a duo that go by the name of Screen Vinyl Image. I found them on another blog but I don't recall where. At any rate, it doesn't matter because that blog described them terribly and didn't get to the heart of what Screen Vinyl Image is all about. These kids are like the best Depeche Mode songs put through an intense echo chamber effect, wrapped in leather, and shot across a black highway. There's also the feeling of intense red neon there too but I'm not sure how that plays into that ridiculous analogy. I actually hate it when people talk about music like that but sometimes its the only way.


Screen Vinyl Image - Roaming Spirit Freedom

Nextly, The Protomen. If you've heard of these guys and you ever owned a Nintendo, there's a good chance that you like them. If you've also seen them live, upgrade that "like" to "want to blow them". For the rest of you, here's the lowdown: The Protomen have written a rock opera that tells the story of the video game Megaman. This is not just another Nintendo rock band like The Advantage meaning that they don't use any music from the game. Its all original songs that tell this epic, um, tale. There's like eight or nine people in this group that do all kinds of ridiculous things on stage including a guy in a mask who just rocks out and holds up a Megaman helmet. They have a few surprises in store for you at the live show which I don't want to ruin but what the hell, I'll ruin them anyway. The best is when Megaman and Protoman (they're brothers, for those of you that don't know) are reunited on stage. Megaman is led to the stage by one of the members of the band's entourage, an XLR cable is plugged into the back of his helmet (everyone in the band is either behelmeted or has their face painted in true theatrical fashion), and then he does a duet with his brother. There were technical difficulties in the show that I was at which led to some hilarious stage banter that didn't break character! These guys are true professionals and deserve a hell of a lot more attention than they are getting.

The Protomen - Vengeance

I'm also going to throw up a couple more songs that I'm into lately. Here they are, vomited on to the web for your pleasure. This She, Sir song has had a revival for me in recent weeks because of its close proximity to Screen Vinyl Image on my iTunes library. Its also perfect shoegaze.

She, Sir - The Clandestine

And then the lovely St. Vincent. I don't think she should have chose that bizarre picture of herself to go along with the album title "Marry Me". It just makes me feel bad for her every time I see it. Poor thing. You don't have to put yourself out there like that. Someone will marry you, I guess. Okay, maybe not.

St. Vincent - Now. Now.